In 2019, Brad Pitt first opened up about spending time in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) when he was interviewed for a profile in the New York Times. In his interaction, the actor shared that he entered the programme in 2016 after his marriage with Angelina Jolie hit splitsville and she filed for divorce. 

“It was actually really freeing to just expose the ugly sides of yourself,” he told the outlet of entering the programme at the time. “There’s a great value in that.” 

Brad Pitt on Dax Shepard's podcast| Credit: Instagram

Cut to 2025, six years on. 

The Ocean’s 13 actor hit nostalgia mode and reflected on alcohol addiction and his sobriety journey on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, which dropped on Monday, June 23.

The Oscar-winner, in a candid chat with his industry colleague, spoke about his time in Alcoholics Anonymous and said he didn't hesitate to open up due to how "desperate" he was when he began the programme. The two actors also spoke about getting to know one another in an AA meeting. 

Pitt, on Shepherd’s show, was effusive in his praise for AA, calling it an “amazing thing.” “I just thought it was just incredible men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humor with it. I thought it was a really special experience," the 61-year-old actor said. 

Brad Pitt at the photo call of F1: The Movie| Credit: X/@legendstarfan

But Pitt’s AA journey did not begin on a special note. 

Like anyone else, he, too, had his own apprehensions about joining the programme. His initial approach included him feeling a bit “shy” coming into the AA group. However, once in, he also didn’t hesitate to open up because of how low he was at that time.

“I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open,” he told Shepard who himself has been very open about his struggles with substance abuse and sobriety. 

“I was trying anything and everyone. Anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f*** up in some areas. And it just meant a lot to me,” Pitt, the two-time Golden Globe winner, said while recounting his recovery. 

Shepard, who has been hosting the Armchair Expert since 2018, asked Pitt whether he was nervous about connecting publicly given the vulnerability of recovery groups. The actor responded that he was "quite at ease," despite initially being shy. 

Pitt replied in a tone of reassurance, "quite at ease.” 

The 61-year-old said that after a few sessions, AA meetings held a different appeal for him, and became “something I'd look forward to.”

Pitt, whose next big outing, F1, hits the screens on Friday, added that he approached therapy with a similar openness. He said, “When I jumped into therapy then, I was just like, ‘And I did this and I did that and da da da da,’ “ calling his approach “desperate.” 

Brad Pitt in F1: The Movie| Credit: X/F1

“Yeah. You don't come into AA because everything's working out fantastic,” Shepard agreed.

“No. That's usually not the entry point,” Pitt quipped in response. 

“It's not the winner's club,” Shepard added. “Your hair has gotta be on fire before you go like, ‘Yeah, I'll go hang with a bunch of dudes and talk about emotions.’ “ 

Pitt’s next film, F1: The Movie, where he plays a race car driver and stars along with Javier Bardem, hits theatres on June 27.

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